If excessive regulations kill businesses, why are there truckers?

[jmowreader]

Republican Big Lie Number 425: Excessive regulation kills businesses, makes existing businesses hesitant about hiring, and cripples the economy.

Reality Number 425: Two of the most heavily regulated industries in the world are the American surface transportation industry and the American air transportation industry. Both were "deregulated" in the 1970s, but in an unsurprising turn of events it seems only the regulations that disturb the big businesses who use those industries' services were removed; the regulations that remain are the ones that cost truckers and trucking companies money. And they're adding more regulations every day, expensive-to-implement ones. Just recently, the government mandated electronic logbooks, which is expensive.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/

This is not a call to revoke the regulations on trucking. Most of them are necessary to promote the safety of the public, although there are a few that need to be changed. It is to point out that all this regulation hasn't stopped people from becoming truckers, buying trucks and starting trucking companies. (Four-dollar diesel and reduced freight volume has stopped more guys from going in the trucking industry than that bookshelf-size rulebook ever did.) And trust me, if the feds ever DID want to lift a rule, the first people who'd be screaming about its necessity would be someone wearing teabags as earrings.

[HopeHoops]

1. How the fuck else are you going to get 20 tons of Cheerios from wherever the fuck they make them to

wherever the fuck they're going to sell them?

[Kennah]

2. Rail, then smaller trucks

[HopeHoops]

4. Have you seen the fucking rail lines in this country? Shit. They're scrap.

[Kennah]

6. I didn't say it had to happen tomorrow, but we can certainly revitalize our rail infrastructure.

[HopeHoops]

10. No argument there, but the highways and trucks are still the most efficient for non-bulk shit.

Like coal or steel beams, things like that.

[Kennah]

11. In terms of fuel efficiency, rail wins.

http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/Comparative_Evaluation_Rail_Truck_Fuel_Efficiency.pdf

I know, I know. It's the Federal RAILROAD Administration conducting the study.

[HopeHoops]

15. It doesn't matter who conducted the study - that's just an obvious conclusion.

[jmowreader]

9. I know what you're saying...

but the Repukes always say "if we get rid of taxes and regulations, businesses will hire." And then you look at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, some of which really do cost drivers money (like the hours of service regulation), and notice they don't seem to be scaring companies away from the trucking industry, and think that maybe the Republicans are, once again, proving you can tell a Republican is lying if his lips are moving.

You know the Repukes are running around saying they want the business community to send in all the regulations that are impeding their business? Well gee, maybe someone should tell them 49 CFR 393.75 (tires), 49 CFR 393.42 (brakes required on all wheels) 49 CFR 382.201 (legal intoxication level), 49 CFR 395 (hours of service of drivers), 49 CFR 396.9 (unsafe operations forbidden) and 49 CFR 399.207 (truck and truck-tractor access requirements) are impeding their business, and see how fast the GOP goes to repeal them.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Truckers have been hurting for years and years. They're expected to drive too many hours a day

and are fined if they do.

[reggie the dog]

5. and fired if they don't

[n2doc]

7. More to the point, why were the 50's, 60's and 70's so much better than now?

Seems like after Johnson, Nixon and Carter, there wouldn't have been any jobs in this country. Yet unemployment was less during their admins than now, mostly much less.

[DCKit]

8. Zombie Truckers?

[KamaAina]

12. Businesses who moan about regulations need to look in the mirror

Many regulations can be traced back to some company trying to cut corners. So a lot of it is their own damn fault.

[gratuitous]

14. This is true

These regulations didn't just spring fully grown like Athena from Zeus' head. Somebody somewhere trimmed a corner and caused a big problem. It seems utterly unnecessary (for example) to put a warning on a hand-held blow dryer not to use it in the shower, but somebody somewhere got electrocuted and now Conair puts that warning on a permanent label.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. The heavily-regulated railroads are making money and hiring new employees.

http://www.startribune.com/business/130000873.html